Giving back can mean different things: repaying a kindness, returning a favor or providing for those who need it most. For Deanna and Howard Bayless, giving back to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital came naturally after its physicians saved the life of their 17-month-old daughter, Emily, following her diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma in 2005, the fifth-rarest pediatric cancer. As Lakeland natives, they had never walked through the doors of St. Joseph’s until that December day, their heads spinning as if in a dark storm.
“Everything happened so fast,” Deanna Bayless says. “We were still in shock about all the unknowns, but the next morning, the physicians sat on the bed like a friend and spoke to us very compassionately. The level of trust we had with that oncology group saved our daughter’s life.”
After six weeks of radiation and 52 weeks of chemotherapy, Emily is now a healthy 22-year-old college senior. Her parents have since dedicated themselves to supporting St. Joseph’s. It started with building a bookcase for the waiting room and led to the Bayless Cancer Institute, the only place in Tampa Bay offering pediatric neuro-oncology, pediatric neurosurgery and radiation oncology under one roof.
“For me, it’s easy when the root reason is a child and saving a life,” Howard Bayless says.
Most recently, the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation announced gifts from the Bayless and Park families totaling $4.5 million to advance pediatric oncology care at Pagidipati Children’s Hospital at St. Joseph’s, expected to open in 2030.
Across Tampa Bay, families like the Baylesses turn their hospital experiences into philanthropic gifts that help expand technology, research and patient care for future generations.
At Tampa General Hospital, Tara Ruberg chose to honor her late husband, David, after the care he received.
“At his core,” Ruberg says of her husband, “David was driven by a strong passion for technology and research, and a belief in their power to create meaningful, lasting impact.”
After his cardiac event, David received extraordinary care and compassion from his physicians at Tampa General, even from a distance, including interventional cardiologist Dr. Fari Matar.
“The kindness, dedication and genuine care shown by David’s TGH team meant more than I can put into words,” Ruberg says.
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In keeping with David’s passion for research, Ruberg pledged a $4 million gift naming the David and Tara H. Ruberg Heart and Vascular Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, along with the David and Tara H. Ruberg Heart and Vascular Catalyst Fund, supporting new cardiovascular research, patient care and surgical innovation.
“When you pair that kind of support with a strong research infrastructure and the clear commitment of Tampa General’s leadership,” Ruberg adds, “it creates an environment where talented physicians and medical scientists want to collaborate and innovate.”
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Across the bay in St. Petersburg at All Children’s Hospital, husband and wife Akash Chandawarkar and Carly Spataro experienced this support when their newborn daughter, Anika, was born with the rare condition congenital diaphragmatic hernia. As a plastic surgeon and pharmacist, respectively, they already understood hospital care from the clinician’s perspective. When Anika underwent an eight-hour surgery at 1 week old, they suddenly found themselves on the other side, navigating months of procedures while also being displaced during hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“They treated her like their own child,” Spataro says of the multidisciplinary congenital diaphragmatic hernia team at All Children’s. “We got lucky that this just happened to be in our backyard.”
The family has documented Anika’s recovery on Instagram, @surgeon_dad, where Anika is now a happy 2-year-old alongside her older sister, Aria. They continue working with the organizations that supported them, including the All Children’s Fund, TinyHero, Casey Cares and Ronald McDonald House.
“It makes it frictionless for parents in this situation,” Chandawarkar says. “It doesn’t need to be sought out. We knew that somebody was helping us in the background.”
Moving forward, Chandawarkar and Spataro aim to continue raising awareness and support for All Children’s and the organizations that cared for Anika. They hope to encourage greater support for physicians and staff in both research and the demands of everyday patient care.
“We want to find ways to make their lives in the ICU a good experience for them, too,” Chandawarkar says.
For these families, giving back means ensuring future families receive the same kindness, compassion and level of care they experienced at St. Joseph’s, Tampa General and All Children’s. Kate Sawa, president of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation and BayCare chief philanthropy officer, is proud of the generosity shown throughout Tampa Bay.
“These gifts reflect something deeply personal,” Sawa says, “a belief that when children get the care they need, whole families and communities are transformed.”
Emily Bayless now plans to work in pediatric neuroscience and counseling, providing children undergoing chemotherapy with the same support she received as a toddler. Deanna and Howard Bayless hope their family’s story and philanthropy encourage others throughout Tampa Bay to give back to the physicians, staff and organizations that helped them.
“What we received was our daughter’s life,” Howard Bayless says. “I want everyone to have that.”
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